London-based CloudNC is using AI (artificial intelligence) software to offer aerospace-grade CNC machined parts at what it claims to be a fraction of the price of existing alternatives.
The company has just opened the first of several planned UK factories for the manufacture of parts for everything from the aircraft and automotive industries, to consumer, medical, defence, and oil & gas applications.
At the heart of the new approach is the company’s AI software which shortens the programming time for CNC machining of parts from days or weeks of an expert’s time, to just a few minutes - with no expertise required. The company says its software also leverages the huge computing power available in the cloud to vastly reduce machining cycle times over what is currently possible, resulting in a corresponding reduction in production cost whether for a single unit or hundreds of thousands.
Co-founder and CEO Theo Saville explains that CloudNC is entirely focused on building the world’s most efficient, most flexible factories, making machining faster, cheaper and at a much higher quality by applying the best practices of hypergrowth technology companies to manufacturing.
“Starting with a clean slate means we’ve been able to apply a digital-first approach from the outset, without needing to consider integrating existing legacy systems or technologies. Apart from our software, we’re also applying the best industry 4.0 technology available to make Factory 1 as efficient and flexible as possible – and where that technology doesn’t exist, or isn’t mature enough in our sector, we’re designing it.”
Factory 1, which opened in the spring in Chelmsford, Essex, is the first CloudNC factory and the exemplifies the CloudNC approach. With CNC machinery from the likes of DMG Mori and Mazak, it also applies robotics from Erowa and embraces Industry 4.0 principles of connectivity and automation to deliver faster, more reliable CNC parts machining.
According to Saville, “CloudNC is on a development curve that has not been seen in the manufacturing space before. Just six months ago our Chelmsford site was just a couple of guys with laptops and some camping equipment. Now it is a highly efficient, highly automated facility functioning close to capacity and we are looking at Factory 2 and beyond while we continue to implement more autonomous I4 technologies at Factory 1 and apply what we learn at every step.”
CloudNC’s ultimate mission is to provide a service that is fully automated. The pricing, the manufacture; even the raw materials will be shipped in and loaded automatically by robots in state-of-the-art factories. Inspection, verification, packaging and fulfilment will also be carried out autonomously, further reducing the time and cost of CNC parts manufacture for industry. Expert staff will take over only in the most challenging and interesting scenarios.
The company was founded in 2015 by CEO Theo Saville and CTO and software engineer Chris Emery. It has grown to employ more than 70 staff including some the world’s leading software engineers and a management team with vast experience scaling tech start-ups to become some of the most successful companies in the world, including the likes of Uber, Betfair, and Fetchr.
Since launch, the company has benefitted from multiple government grants and support from government agencies including InnovateUK, the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG). CloudNC has also raised more than £11.5 million in Venture Capital (VC) funding to date, from some of the top investors in the world, that it used to develop the powerful AI software from the ground up and open Factory 1 in spring 2019.
Photo: company founders CEO Theo Saville and CTO and software engineer Chris Emery
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